Tibet and Brenda Kocher—respectively, Florida’s first courthouse dog and the Guardian ad Litem volunteer who serves as Tibet’s handler, under the auspices of Voices for Children of Tampa Bay—outline the extensive training Tibet underwent, in keeping with the dogs...
Robert Clark—an award-winning photographer for National Geographic and other major magazines, who’s just published a book, “Feathers: Displays of Brilliant Plumage”—recounts key milestones of his career, including starting to shoot as a young kid, later winding up...
Paula Poundstone—the veteran comedian perhaps best known these days as a regular panelist on NPR’s quiz show “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me”—returns for her third appearance on “Talking Animals,” and we engage in a sprawling conversation that touched on a slew of...
Michele Lazarow—a Hallandale Beach city commissioner and activist who has helped pass numerous laws across Florida preventing pet stories from selling dogs that come from puppy mills—recounts the dreadful experience she had in 2004 after buying her dog, Alfie, from...
Helena Kriel—founder of Baby Rhino Rescue, which seeks to raise awareness of the rhino poaching crisis, and raise money for the care of baby rhinos who’ve become orphaned through that poaching—recalls her formative years in South Africa, growing up with a strong...
Darcy Dennett—the director of “The Champions,” a documentary chiefly about the pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick’s dog-fighting ring—outlines her professional experience that served as a prelude to this, her feature film debut. She explains the passion that...
Laura T. Coffey—the author of “MY OLD DOG: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts,” which touts the virtues of adopting senior shelter dogs—recounts going to school (including college) in the Tampa Bay area and her extended stints at what’s now The Tampa Bay...
Anita Krajnc—the animal rights activist who co-founded Toronto Pig Save (spawning The Save Movement)—discusses her arrest for giving water to a truckload of thirsty pigs on a sweltering day last summer, as the truck was pulling into a Burlington slaughterhouse....
Dr. Michael Greger—the physician, author, speaker, internationally-recognized expert on nutrition, and majordomo of NutritionFacts.org—recounts how his Grandma’s story of being riddled with heart disease in her 60s, all but written off by her doctors, embraced the...
For today’s program, I opted to set aside our regular format, in favor of convening a panel discussion about service animals, propelled largely by the growing trend of people using bogus service animals and emotional support animals. Indeed, a key catalyst for...
